By Staff report | Press TelegramMarch 12, 2018 at 11:42 am Suzie PriceGordana KajerRobert SavinShow Caption of Expand By Kat Schuster, special to the Press-Telegram An environmental activist and a high school teacher are challenging incumbent Suzie Price for a seat on the City Council representing southeast Long Beach, which includes some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods. The election is April 10. If no candidate receives at least 50 percent of the votes, a runnoff between the top two vote-getters will be held in June. The 3rd District includes the area of Cal State Long Beach, Recreation Park Golf Course and neighborhoods Alamitos Heights, Belmont Heights, Belmont Shore, the Peninsula and Naples Island. In addition to Price, who was elected in 2014, the candidates include Gordana Kajer, a local environmental activist and business owner; and Robert Savin, a high school physics teacher. As with other council races, the city’s revamped Land Use Element and related housing issues are playing an outsize role this election season. A scaled down version of the plan, was approved last week by the City Council. It will guide density, building heights and dictates what can be built where for the next 20 years. While Savin and Kajer voiced opposition and concern regarding communication from the council to the residents about the plan, Price affirmed that the council made these decisions based on direct input from the community. She also added that she believes community turnout at City Council meetings has been robust. “I do think there is room for additional density, however, I do think there’s a way to do it without losing character in our neighborhoods,” Price said. Suzie Price Price, who has lived in Alamitos Heights since 2003, is running for a second term on the council. Price, 45, has been in office since 2014, succeeding two-term councilman Gary DeLong. She currently works as a deputy district attorney in Orange County and received Continue Reading

By Hamed Aleaziz Updated 9:18 pm, Monday, March 12, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Jeff Chiu Image 1of/5 CaptionClose Image 1 of 5 Buy photo FILE – San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy is interviewed in her office after attending a meeting at City Hall in San Francisco by city leaders and community activists to reaffirm the city's commitment to being a sanctuary city in response to Donald Trump's support of deportations and other measures against immigrants Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) less FILE – San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy is interviewed in her office after attending a meeting at City Hall in San Francisco by city leaders and community activists to reaffirm the city's commitment to ... more Photo: Jeff Chiu Buy this photo Image 2 of 5 Carolina Collazos lies in an intersection in San Francisco as protesters rally against immigration raids outside the Department of Homeland Security offices on Sansome St. on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Carolina Collazos lies in an intersection in San Francisco as protesters rally against immigration raids outside the Department of Homeland Security offices on Sansome St. on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Photo: Noah Berger / Special To The Chronicle Image 3 of 5 Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, left, with Xavier Becerra, the state's attorney general, reacts to Attorney General Jeff Sessions immigration lawsuit announcement, in Sacramento, Calif., March 7, 2018. Warning that California’s liberal politicians were endangering the state’s citizens and Continue Reading

By Hamed Aleaziz Updated 7:19 pm, Monday, March 12, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Jeff Chiu Image 1of/5 CaptionClose Image 1 of 5 Buy photo FILE – San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy is interviewed in her office after attending a meeting at City Hall in San Francisco by city leaders and community activists to reaffirm the city's commitment to being a sanctuary city in response to Donald Trump's support of deportations and other measures against immigrants Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) less FILE – San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy is interviewed in her office after attending a meeting at City Hall in San Francisco by city leaders and community activists to reaffirm the city's commitment to ... more Photo: Jeff Chiu Buy this photo Image 2 of 5 Carolina Collazos lies in an intersection in San Francisco as protesters rally against immigration raids outside the Department of Homeland Security offices on Sansome St. on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Carolina Collazos lies in an intersection in San Francisco as protesters rally against immigration raids outside the Department of Homeland Security offices on Sansome St. on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Photo: Noah Berger / Special To The Chronicle Image 3 of 5 Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, left, with Xavier Becerra, the state's attorney general, reacts to Attorney General Jeff Sessions immigration lawsuit announcement, in Sacramento, Calif., March 7, 2018. Warning that California’s liberal politicians were endangering the state’s citizens and Continue Reading

By Richard K. De Atley | PUBLISHED: February 20, 2018 at 4:50 pm | UPDATED: February 21, 2018 at 10:32 am Four California law school deans have asked Gov. Jerry Brown to open an independent investigation into the case of Kevin Cooper, convicted and sentenced to Death Row for the 1983 Chino Hills knife-and-hatchet murder of four people, two of them children. The letter is one of several sent to Brown asking him to grant a pending clemency petition from Cooper, which would put his death sentence temporarily on hold during the investigation. San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell holds press conference June 9, 2003 at the West End Substation to identify suspect in Chino Hills murders as Kevin Cooper. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Kevin Cooper listens during his preliminary hearing in Ontario in November 1983 for the murders in Chino Hills in June of 1983. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)The Chino Hills family home where Doug, Peggy and Jessica Ryen were attacked and murdered in 1983. Eight-year-old Joshua Ryen survived the attack, but a neighbor sleeping over at the Ryen house, Christopher Hughes, was also killed. Kevin Cooper, an escapee from California Institute for Men at Chino, was convicted and received the death penalty for the murders. He is scheduled for execution Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004. (Staff file photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Portrait of Doug and Peggy Ryen with their daughter Jessica, 10, and son Joshua, then 8-years-old. Joshua was the only survivor of the 1983 incident. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Investigators stand outside the master bedroom of the Ryen’s Chino Hills home June 6, 2003 as they gather evidence at the scene of the murders. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell examines blood stains found on the doorway leading into the Continue Reading

Kevin Cooper listens during his preliminary hearing in Ontario in November 1983 for the murders in Chino Hills in June of 1983. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) The Chino Hills family home where Doug, Peggy and Jessica Ryen were attacked and murdered in 1983. Eight-year-old Joshua Ryen survived the attack, but a neighbor sleeping over at the Ryen house, Christopher Hughes, was also killed. Kevin Cooper, an escapee from California Institute for Men at Chino, was convicted and received the death penalty for the murders. He is scheduled for execution Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004. (Staff file photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Portrait of Doug and Peggy Ryen with their daughter Jessica, 10, and son Joshua, then 8-years-old. Joshua was the only survivor of the 1983 incident. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Investigators stand outside the master bedroom of the Ryen’s Chino Hills home June 6, 2003 as they gather evidence at the scene of the murders. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell examines blood stains found on the doorway leading into the master bedroom in the Ryen family house, 1983. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell holds press conference June 9, 2003 at the West End Substation to identify suspect in Chino Hills murders as Kevin Cooper. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) This photo shows a bloody shoe print found in a sheet in Doug and Peggy Ryen’s bedroom. Prosecutors say the print matches the size and type of shoes Kevin Cooper received at the California Institution for Men state prison before he escaped. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Mug photo of Kevin Cooper who is convicted of murdering a Chino Hills family and neighbor with a hatchet Continue Reading

By Richard K. De Atley | February 20, 2018 at 4:50 pm Kevin Cooper listens during his preliminary hearing in Ontario in November 1983 for the murders in Chino Hills in June of 1983. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)The Chino Hills family home where Doug, Peggy and Jessica Ryen were attacked and murdered in 1983. Eight-year-old Joshua Ryen survived the attack, but a neighbor sleeping over at the Ryen house, Christopher Hughes, was also killed. Kevin Cooper, an escapee from California Institute for Men at Chino, was convicted and received the death penalty for the murders. He is scheduled for execution Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004. (Staff file photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Portrait of Doug and Peggy Ryen with their daughter Jessica, 10, and son Joshua, then 8-years-old. Joshua was the only survivor of the 1983 incident. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Investigators stand outside the master bedroom of the Ryen’s Chino Hills home June 6, 2003 as they gather evidence at the scene of the murders. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell examines blood stains found on the doorway leading into the master bedroom in the Ryen family house, 1983. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell holds press conference June 9, 2003 at the West End Substation to identify suspect in Chino Hills murders as Kevin Cooper. (Staff file photo by Walter Richard Weis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)This photo shows a bloody shoe print found in a sheet in Doug and Peggy Ryen’s bedroom. Prosecutors say the print matches the size and type of shoes Kevin Cooper received at the California Institution for Men state prison before he escaped. (File courtesy photo, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Mug photo of Kevin Cooper who is convicted of murdering a Chino Hills family and Continue Reading

By Jenna Lyons and Bob Egelko Updated 7:36 pm, Monday, January 29, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle Image 1of/5 CaptionClose Image 1 of 5 Glenn Payne is lead out of the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif. by members of the Northern California Innocence Project on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. Payne served 13 years in prison for child molestation, but the Northern California Innocence Project helped get that conviction thrown out. less Glenn Payne is lead out of the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif. by members of the Northern California Innocence Project on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. Payne served 13 years in prison for child molestation, but ... more Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle Image 2 of 5 Glenn Payne hugs Lori Reinauer of the Northern California Innocence Project at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. Payne served 13 years in prison for child molestation, but the Northern California Innocence Project helped get that conviction thrown out. less Glenn Payne hugs Lori Reinauer of the Northern California Innocence Project at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. Payne served 13 years in prison for child molestation, but the ... more Photo: James Tensuan, Special To The Chronicle Image 3 of 5 Glenn Payne laughs with members of the Northern California Innocence Project at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018. Payne served 13 years in prison for child molestation, but the Northern California Continue Reading

By Katy Murphy | [email protected] | PUBLISHED: January 17, 2018 at 10:45 am | UPDATED: January 17, 2018 at 11:16 am SACRAMENTO — Sen. Bob Wieckowski thinks one way to ease California’s housing crisis could come one garage apartment or backyard cottage at a time. Make it as easy and inexpensive as possible for people to build small in-law units next to their homes, he argues, and these flats — which are cheaper to construct than the average new home and are often rented out at below-market-rate prices, a recent study found — will start popping up everywhere. The Fremont Democrat, former city councilman and occasional theater performer (more on that below) passed a bill in 2016 to ease local restrictions on these so-called accessory dwelling units — effectively legalizing them statewide. Now he’s is back with Senate Bill 831, which would force local agencies to waive an array of service fees that are typically charged to newly permitted in-law units. These charges for new construction, known as impact fees, help pay for local schools, water, and other services. Wieckowski’s bill — which cities are likely to oppose as an attack on local control and funding — would also create an amnesty program for the many homes of this kind that are not permitted. “There could be 200,000 `illegal units’ in the state of CA, which is nutty,” Wieckowski said. “Let’s bring these people out of the darkness and let them have a documented home that they’re paying taxes on, that they can live in — that they have a window and a front door.” This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: How has Fremont changed since your childhood? A: When we were in high school, one of my sister’s friends would ride a horse from Stevenson Boulevard to Mission Boulevard. I remember the horse being on our front lawn. It wasn’t exactly the wild west, but Continue Reading

By Courtney Tompkins | PUBLISHED: October 8, 2017 at 7:40 pm | UPDATED: October 13, 2017 at 4:32 pm Show Caption of Expand A handful of challengers are eyeing a run in the upcoming Long Beach election, which features a packed ballot of nine city officials all seeking second terms. The April 10 municipal election ballot includes all citywide seats — the mayor, city attorney, city prosecutor and city auditor — and the odd-numbered City Council districts: 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Though the official candidates nominating period does not begin until Dec. 18, incumbents began announcing their re-election bids a few months ago, and many kicked off fundraising campaigns at the start of the year. Here is a roundup of those who have filed candidate intention statements: Mayor Robert Garcia Mayor Robert Garcia was first elected to serve the 1st City Council District in a special election in 2009 after voters elected Bonnie Lowenthal to the State Assembly. Garcia was re-elected to serve a full term in 2010, and in 2014, he was elected to his first term as mayor. He is now seeking a second term. A native of Peru, Garcia immigrated to the United States with his mother when he was 5 years old. He later went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Cal State Long Beach, where he was elected student body president. He also obtained a master’s degree in communication management from USC and a doctorate degree in education from CSULB. He has taught at Long Beach City College, CSULB, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and USC Price School of Public Policy. He holds several “political firsts” in the city, as Long Beach’s youngest and first Latino mayor as well as the city’s first openly gay mayor. He lives in downtown Long Beach. James Henry “Henk” Conn A decade after running for a seat in the 2nd District, Henk Conn is throwing his name back in the ring, this time for mayor. A former Continue Reading